http://www.edmunds.com/insideline/do...hotopanel..1.*

 

great find !!!

the wrx only won quarter mile and 0-60 because of being able to launch.

the ralliart has higher trap speed and better 20-90 speed and better slalom than the wrx.

2 out of three editors would pick this over wrx and speed3. not bad not bad.

"The 2009 Mitsubishi Lancer Ralliart, however, puts up a genuine fight with a good overall driving experience and lots of amenities. If it cost $1,000 less and had better tires, the Ralliart would win this contest hands down."

so we can hope over time or with the manual the price drops. not a bad review at all.

 

Thanks for the post.

 

no problem

 

Seems logical to me ... mazda said yeh folks in this market segment want high speed so lets give them that 260hp... mitsu said well lets give them great handling and less speed..

 

Great find and thanks for sharing that! This newest review does sound very promising. What I take away from it is that the Ralliart does really offer a lot for the money you are paying. Perhaps even more than the other two competitors in the article. The thing is that even though it does offer much Mitsu couldn't throw in everything and the kitchen sink in order to keep prices reasonable. Places it had to cut corners on were the brakes, the suspension, and possibly the tires. Once again I adamantly state that the 11" brakes are woefully undersized for a car this heavy. The rotors should be at least in the 12.5" range. I'm sure the OE pads aren't all that great either, optimized more for noise and dust instead of stopping power. And perhaps the biggest culprit for the poorish handling and stopping numbers would be the tires. Too bad I can't find any info on these OEM only Advan A10's. What would be really interesting to see is a test where edmunds would swap out just the tires to something else in the same OE 215/45/18 size like Bridgestone Potenza RE050A or Yokohama ADVAN Sport and record the numbers again.

 

But the problem here is that the Speed3 clearly outshines the Mitsu and Subie with a .88g skidpad rating and a 111 ft 60-0 stop. And it's faster in the 0-60 and qtr. mile.

 

Damn it Mitsubishi. Put some wider tires on the RA and give it 20 more hp.

What I really what to see, though, is how the RA will perform in the aftermarket. I believe that the RA has a lot of potential; Evo X motor, Evo IX AWD, TC-SST, and a much stiffer chassis. Put some 17"x235mm wide tires that are stickier or wider with fender pulling, two piece rotors and better brake pads, up the power to 360hp, full bolt-ons, Evo X turbo upgrade, add coilovers, reduce weight by 150 pounds and this car will be awesome.

 

the ralliart will definately have a great aftermarket considering it can basically bolt on everything the evo can. the evo x motor looks to have great potential especially with the new chip that is supposed to up the hp to 85 extra at the wheels (wtf lol) so swappin turbo and intercooler and upgrade intake u have the straight power of an evo supposedly. the big question which still hasn't been answered is how long the tc-sst can handle any power increase. but intakes/exhaust/turbos for the x should all be able to bolt to the ralliart (to my knowledge)

 

Yes, my main concern right now is how much power and torque can TC-SST handle.

 

hell i am curious whether if you can bribe Mitsubishi to put on the BBS rims from the X on the R/A to make it more worthwhile, powerdercoated, of course.

LOL

 

Highly doubt the X wheels and tires will fit on the RA. Not enough clearance.

 

I am thinking that modding SST = bad. I mean if it is exactly the same sst thats in the evo then you know it will support 30 more hp. But if its not and people go overboad - kablam!

 

I would put Volk RE30s in 17x9 inch form. I hope you can fit 255mm wide tires after pulling the fenders. The tires will be Potenza RE050A Pole Position or Expedia S-01.

 

hmmmm. you think so? oh well, def worth a try.
but it's still in the air...so, we'll see.

I mean if can pull that, that would probably solve some of the grip issue to a certain degree.
anyone know the price of the BBS rims for the X is running for?